Nutrition

In active addiction, when a drug addicts focuses entirely on the idea of “getting high and staying high”, the concept of proper nutrition for health isn’t even under consideration.

People who are actively drugging in drinking are notorious for losing sight of their ability to take care of themselves. We see lack of self-care in obvious places, financially, loss of friends etc. Not only did I like basic social skills of adults, but was lacking survival skills But, one of the most vital in critical areas of lack of self-care is in health and nutrition.

There is a whole new science called epigenetics which proclaims ‘you are what you eat.’ In the last eight years scientists have come to realize this is true beyond their wildest dreams. Take a look at the video in the section below.

I remember being admitted to my drug rehab many years ago weighing 210 pounds the doctor looking at me and saying you’re malnourished. I didn’t get it. He went on to explain that drugs and alcohol interfere with the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals and that’s what he was talking about.

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How Badly Could Drug Use Have Messed Up Your Body’s Nutritional Balance And Needs?

The answer to that question the elusive “it depends”. It depends on the type of drugs you are using, and for how long, and of course your individual body type.

Before we get into specifics we should note that the Standard American Diet is not a healthy one to begin with. Addicts take the unhealthy diet to the extreme. The the vast majority of addicts can tell tales of going out without food for several days. When they do eat its large quantities of fast food and really unhealthy things. They eat tons of sugar, bad fats and carbohydrates.

That being said let’s look at some of the nutritional deficiencies and problems that drugs can lead to.

One of the most commonly abused drugs now is opiates excessive opiate use can affect the melatonin level in your body. Melatonin helps control sleep patterns. They can also produce deficiency or block absorption of important vitamins such as some of the B vitamins specifically B-6 vitamin D and minerals such as iron.

Alcoholics tend to have more nutritional deficiencies and problems in people doing any other class of drug. I’ll never forget in graduate school one of my professors saying that the drug that systematically destroys more bodily functions quicker than any other is the drug alcohol. Alcohol destroys or blocks and take of numerous vitamins. B vitamins, C vitamins, and mineral deficiencies can affect your energy level and your immune system.

Nutrition: A Key Area Of Your That Needs Attention To Live Sober?

Everyone has heard the expression, “You are what you eat.” This very simple saying means more and more each day as we gain a greater understanding about how foods affect us.

The food you put into your body has an effect on your physical appearance, energy levels, bodily processes and how well your brain functions.

Your brain is a system of chemical connections firing off at each other so fast that it’s almost impossible to fathom. Well, the food you eat affects the chemical make up of your brain, altering how it acts and works.

Feelings and emotions also affect your brain. Obviously feelings are born in the brain, and, depending on the emotion, they can alter the brain chemistry. For example, some people with mental health issues do not produce certain chemicals in their brain, which radically changes their behavior patterns.

Some Things You Can Do To Help Yourself Out And Improve Nutrition In Addiction Recovery

Here it is pretty plain and simple.Your body needs energy to thrive. Energy is to rewrite derived from the foods you eat. Your brain (which you have messed up with drugs) uses the most energy of any organ in your body.

You need to start feeding your brain and body good food and stop feeding them bad food.

Is true not only for addicts in recovery but the general public (who is really slow to catch on). Ideally, you should be 90% of your diet should consist of vegetables and fruits raw or cooked. Very few people eat that way, but those who do are extremely healthy

There are things you can do to regulate this chemical reaction on a daily basis, and it’s simpler than you may think! Eating certain foods can specifically affect different functions of the body, the chemicals in your brain, and your emotions.

Here are some healthy foods you can eat to help optimize both your body and mind:

Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Eating foods high in Omega-3s has a great deal of health benefits, including improving your brain’s development and functions. The Omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, is an important polyunsaturated fat found in the brain. Fish is a great source of Omega-3 Fatty acids, including DHA.

Choline is a chemical building block of every cell in your body. Choline has also been shown to help with retaining information in your memory. The more choline your lifetime diet includes, the less likely you’ll be to face extreme memory loss as you grow older. Eggs yolks have a high concentration of choline in them.

We all recognize the health benefits of antioxidants in fighting diseases, but did you know a cup of hot cocoa has a higher concentration of antioxidants in it than either red wine or green tea? It’s true – as long as you use a dark chocolate. Serve a cup of rich dark hot cocoa after dinner, and know you’re actually taking good care of your health!

Green Tea. Have a glass of green tea every day to help keep the cognitive functions of your brain in tiptop shape. Studies have shown 70% of people who drank green tea showed an improvement in the functions of the brain.

Cranberry Juice. This beverage is not only good for your body, specifically, kidney and urinary functions, but it can also help prevent a stroke. Cranberry juice has also been shown to help reduce brain cell damage after a stroke.

Summary:

Eating a well balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, protein, and some fat is the best way to nourish both the body and mind. Our bodies are highly complicated machines requiring many different things to function properly, and what we eat determines how it functions.

I like the comparison of a person’s body being like a car. If you’ve got a Ferrari would you put low octane water dirt contaminated fuel in it? Now you get the purest fuel you can find. So what, exactly are you putting in your engine?